Frequently Asked Questions

Story Dial Now

Q- What is Story Dial Now?
A- Story Dial Now is a cheap and easy way to make international calls from any phone instantly. All you need to do is dial the access number for the country you want to call then and at the prompt dial your destination number, simple. Please click here for instructions on how to make a call.

Q- How do I pay for cheap phone calls?
A- When you use Story Dial Now you will only be charged for calling one of Story Telecom’s access numbers. For example, when calling USA using our service from a BT phone; the access number you will be given for calling USA will be charged at 1p per minute. You will see the call listed on your next BT bill. If your service provider is not BT (i.e. Virgin/NTL/Telewest), then you will need to check with your service provider how much they charge for calls to the Story Telecom access number you are using.

Q- Can I use Story Dial Now access numbers from a Mobile phone?
A- Yes. However you should be aware that your mobile operator may apply a surcharge. The amount you will be charged depends on your provider and which tariff you’re on. Unfortunately, whilst we have no influence on how much they charge, some mobile operators allow you to call our access numbers for free with your cross network inclusive minutes. Before you use Story Dial Now from your mobile, we would advise you to get in touch with your service provider to check the rates.

Q- Are there any subscription or registration fees?
A- No! Story Dial Now is immediately accessible from all land lines and mobiles without any subscription or registration fees. You can make cheap international long distance calls at any time.

Q- How can I find your rates and access numbers?
A- We offer competitive rates to most of the countries around the Globe, for call rates see rates calculator

Q- Can I use Story Dial Now from my mobile?
A- Yes. But please check the rates for 08- and 09-numbers with your mobile provider. Depending on your calling plan, certain access numbers can be truly useful for you to make cheap or even free international phone calls from your mobile.

Q- Can I use Story Dial Now access number from a payphone?
A- Yes. But 08- and 09-numbers can be charged at a higher rate from payphones.

Q: How can I find out about the latest rates and destination updates?
A- Call rates are announced before each connection, this way you are always in control of your costs.

Q- Are the Story Dial Now numbers charged the same by all landline service providers?
A- The rates mentioned for the access numbers are with respect to BT. The charges for customers from NTL/ Telewest or any other service provider might vary a little and we always recommend checking this with your provider in advance.

Q- I was told by my service provider you charge at premium rate, which is really expensive?
A- Only 09 numbers are classified as premium rate; however prices for premium rate numbers vary enormously depending on which number you are ringing. Premium rate is not necessarily expensive as charges stare the prices advertised.

Q- Are your services suitable for calling non-standard phone numbers?
A- Our services are not suitable for calling non-standard or non-geographic phone numbers (e.g. national or international Freephone numbers, personal numbers, premium numbers or other audio text services) and if such calls are made, they may fail, disconnect or will be charged at rates substantially above the prices advertised.

Story Text & Talk

Q- What is Story Text & Talk?
A- These services allow you to make very cheap international calls from your mobile or landline with no need to set up an account. The service operates on a pre-pay basis and calls are made using the available credit.

Q- How do I top-up?
A- Simply text the desired topup keyword on our shortcode for a topup. The text message will be charged to you by your mobile provider and for this we send your pin number with £5 credit along with the local and free phone international access numbers.
Text STORY10 to 67400 for a £10 Topup + £1 FREE (Cost: £10 + std. SMS)
Text STORY5 to 80077 for a £5 Topup (Cost: £5 + std. SMS)
Text STORY4 to 85450 for a £4.5 Topup (Cost: £4.5 + std. SMS)
Text STORY3 to 84459 for a £3 Topup (Cost: £3 + std. SMS)
Text STORY1.5 to 80876 for a £1.5 Topup (Cost: £1.5 + std. SMS)

Q- How do I use Story Text & Talk?
A- Simply dial any one of the access number included in the confirmation text message, listen to the message, if dialling from a different phone from that which you topped-up from, then use the PIN included in the welcome text, enter the full international number - do not press send / call again. You will then be connected.

Q- What if I have sent a text requesting a top-up, but have not received a confirmation message back?
A- Generally a confirmation message is sent instantaneously, however very occasionally for example at peak times the mobile networks maybe congested which means that the confirmation message maybe delayed. Do not resend the message as you will be charged twice.

Q- Are there any administration or subscription fees?
A- There is no administration or subscription fees. There is however a 0800 surcharge of one pence per minute from any mobile or landline and a 10p per minute surcharge from a payphone. A connection charge equal to the rate per minute for the relevant destination is charged on each call. A disconnection charge between one to twenty pence applies to each successful call.

Q- Where can I find the rates for my destination country?
A- You can find call rates by visiting the rates & calculator page.

Q- Is there a maximum amount of top-ups that I am allowed in one day?
A- Yes, you cannot top-up with more than £20 in one day. Customers are limited to one top up per day.

Q- Is there any expiry date?
A- Yes, your calling credit will expire 90 days after the last top-up was made.

Q- Are your services suitable for calling non-standard phone numbers?
A- Our services are not suitable for calling non-standard or non-geographic phone numbers (e.g. national or international Freephone numbers, personal numbers, premium numbers or other audio text services) and if such calls are made, they may fail, disconnect or will be charged at rates substantially above the prices advertised.

Story International Calling Cards

Q- How does the service work?
A- It is very simple and full operating instructions are given at the back of the card or will be sent to you in an email if you buy online.
                1. Dial any of the access numbers (0208/ 0800/ 0845)
                2. Enter your Pin number
                3. Dial your destination Number (00 + Country Code + National Code + Telephone Number)
                4. To make another call, dial *

Q- Is the billing for your services per minute?
A- Yes, our billing is per minute billing.

Q- Can I use my credit to call from any phone?
A- Yes, you can dial the access number from any landline or mobile phone and then enter your pin number when it asks you to do so.

Q- Can I use the phone card from my mobile?
A- Yes, you can. You will need to check with your mobile operator as to how much they will charge you on your tariff for dialling 0800/ 0208/ 0845 access numbers. Our 0208 access number might be deducted from your free minutes allowance from your mobile, however you should confirm this with your mobile operator first.

Q- Can I call from a UK payphones?
A- Yes, but there will be a surcharge of 10p per minute when using BT public payphones. This rate is in line with the industry norm.

Q- Can I use my Phone card overseas?
A- Yes, you can use your phone cards from 20 International Countries.To view the countries click international access numbers

Q- How will I know how much credit I have left?
A- When you make your call you will hear a voice prompt which will advise how much credit is left.

Q- Will the Phone card expire?
A- From the first use the validity for the cards is as below
£5 – 30 days
£10 / £20 – 60 days
£50 – 180 days

Q- Are your services suitable for calling non-standard phone numbers?
A- Our services are not suitable for calling non-standard or non-geographic phone numbers (e.g. national or international Freephone numbers, personal numbers, premium numbers or other audio text services) and if such calls are made they will be charged at rates substantially above the prices advertised.

Q- Do your call rates change?
A- Yes, we are continuously monitoring our rates to ensure that they are competitive and reliable. Very rarely rates to particular destinations might increase. Rate changes take place without notice that is why it’s important to pay regular visits to our website.

Q- Are your services suitable for calling non-standard phone numbers?
A- Our services are not suitable for calling non-standard or non-geographic phone numbers (e.g. national or international Freephone numbers, personal numbers, premium numbers or other audio text services) and if such calls are made, they may fail, disconnect or will be charged at rates substantially above the prices advertised.

Story Travel Talk SIM

Q. What is roaming and how does it work?
A- Anytime you travel abroad, your phone connects to a network in the country you are visiting. This is called roaming. When you make a call while roaming, you incur charges that are much higher than your local charges. The network operator located in the country you are visiting will handle the calls you make and receive. Rather than charging you directly for their services, the new network operator charges your home network operator e.g. O2, Vodafone, T-Mobile, Orange. Your Home network operator adds up its share and you face a hefty bill at the end of the month.

You could find yourself paying as much as £2 a minute (and sometimes even more than that) just to receive a call while you are abroad.

Q- What is the delivery Time for the Travel Talk SIM?
A- TravelTalk orders received before midday will be processed and dispatched the same day, or the next working day, and sent out by First class recorded delivery. If you have any specific requirements, contact our Customer Support team.

Q- Which phones are compatible with the TravelTalk SIM?
A- You can use the TravelTalk SIM on any mobile phone which is fully unlocked. Please be advised, that occasionally handsets are only unlocked to specific networks, if this is the case then it won’t pick up on local networks whilst you are away, which is very important.

If you are unsure about your phone, try inserting a SIM card from another network into your phone. If it works normally, your phone is unlocked and ready for our TravelTalk SIM card. If a message such as ‘SIM card restricted’ appears, you will then need to unlock the phone. You can speak to your network operator to obtain the unlocking code or you can unlock most phones at many high street mobile shops

Q- How do I make a call?

  • Dial country code & number and press the Call/Send button
  • For example 00442084979295 ‘Call’ or +442084979295 ‘Call’*
  • There will be a short pause without any sound or line tone
  • Your phone may (depending on handset model) display an on screen messages saying, “Thank you for using the service. Your call will be connected shortly”.
  • After a few seconds, your handset will ring. When you answer you will hear a voice message saying, “Please wait while we connect your call”.
  • You will then hear the normal ring tone and you will be connected to your dialled number.
  • When finished – please end the call and hang up as you would normally do.

*If you are experiencing any problems making calls, please contact our Customer Service Team here

Q- Can I send text messages
A - You can send and receive text messages with your TravelTalk SIM! Please check our coverage and tariffs page for our rates (make sure you change the ‘calling to’ option to a UK mobile network first!).

Q- How do I top-up?
A - You can top up your TravelTalk SIM online via PayPal or using your credit card. We also offer a hassle-free automatic top-up service so you will never be left without credit on your TravelTalk SIM. To set up our Auto Top-up service, you can either register your details online, or call our friendly Customer Support department, and one of our agents will arrange the Auto Top-up for you.

When the credit on your SIM drops below £3, this will trigger an Automatic Top-up to your account by charging you the amount agreed upon when registering for this service. You can choose to top-up between £10 and £50. Each time you are automatically topped up, you will receive a notification both via a text message and an e-mail stating your credit card has been charged.

Customer Support: 0800 651 2345/ 0208 497 2345 or 80404 from your handset

Q- How can I check how much credit I have?
A - You can send a blank text message from your phone to the number 803, you will then receive a text message from us with your current balance - this service is free of charge. Alternatively, you can also check your balance online or speak to one of our advisors at Customer Support.

Q- Can this SIM card be used in the UK
A- Yes you can. Because it is a roaming SIM, it will roam between all the UK networks to give you the best coverage. Detailed rates can be found at the TravelTalk Rates Calculator.

Q- What mobile number will I receive with my new TravelTalk SIM?
A- The SIM card originates in the UK. You will get a UK mobile number, starting with +4478221

Q- Can I keep my UK mobile number?
A- No, unfortunately international number portability is not possible.

Q- Does the roaming SIM card/credit expire?
A- Your TravelTalk SIM card will initially be active for 12 months; if you have a balance greater than £10 or you have registered your card details for the Auto top-up we will automatically take the £10 annual activation fee.. If you are not registered for the auto top up we will send you a text message and/or email approximately 30 days before the expiry so you can call us and renew your SIM card’s lifetime. If, however, your SIM card expires, any remaining credit will be lost

Q- Can I unsubscribe to the pre-arranged top-up service when my credit reaches the £3 threshold?
A- You can contact our Customer Services department on 0800 651 2345 or 0208 497 2345 – or 80404 from your handset once you are using the TravelTalk SIM.

Q- When do the charges start?
A- You will start to pay once the call is connected.

Q- Is their any connection fee on outgoing calls?
A- There is only a 7p one off connection fees applicable on all outgoing calls. For more information visit call cost calculator at TravelTalk Sim Coverage & Tariffs.

Q- Will it be expensive for others to call me?
A - Calls made to your TravelTalk SIM number from the UK should be charged as follows:
BT: approximately 12-18 pence per minute. Weekend: 8 pence per minute.
UK Mobile networks: Most networks will charge between 20-30 pence per minute, as per calling a UK mobile. It is at the network providers’ discretion as to whether calls are inclusive in any free calls you have.

NB: Please be aware that T-mobile customers my experience issues connecting to our TravelTalk SIM, however Travel Talk SIM user are still able to call T-Mobile customers.

We advise customers to check with their telephone provider for up to date charges.

Q- Should I take my usual SIM card with me while travelling abroad?
A - When travelling, take your regular phone as a back up, but use TravelTalk SIM as your main contact number for making and receiving calls.

Q- Can I use the roaming SIM within USA?
A - Only for SIMs purchased after 1st December 2011. Your mobile must be set to US Profile SIM otherwise you will incur charges significantly higher than advertised on our website. You will need to switch off your handset prior to use within USA, when you switch your handset on you will be prompted to enter your PIN. Please enter USA PIN (from the SIM card holder), which will set your SIM to US Profile, allowing you to make cheap calls (Story Telecom handsets will not require you to enter a PIN). For rates, please select USA (US Profile SIM) on our Tariffs and Coverage page.

For any of the products if you cannot find the answer to your query then please contact our customer services team who will be happy to help. To contact us please click here.

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